


Boscha's Friends

by TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: At least she does in this, Boscha's mean but genuinely cares about her friends, Gen, I dunno about in canon, Speculation, also their parents - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27154459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju/pseuds/TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju
Summary: A look at how they all met her.
Relationships: Amelia & Cat, Amity Blight & Boscha, Amity Blight & Skara, Boscha & Amelia, Boscha & Cat, Boscha & Skara (The Owl House), Skara & Amelia, Skara & Cat
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. Skara

Skara first met Boscha in the woods, when they were both little.

The Woods. Beautiful, serene, and, when you discounted the occasional bloodthirsty demon, peaceful. But to the people who knew Skara O’Hara, the woods would not have been her scene. She was a high society girl! Her time was better spent in her family’s manor, wearing oversized dresses, or...doing whatever it was high society girls did, not out walking in some dusty, dirty woods!

But in truth, nobody outside of her family really knew Skara all that well. To her parents’ friends, she was just the little girl who sat quietly in the other room, occasionally coming by when her father called. To the people who passed her on the street, she was just the O’Hara girl, always right on her father’s heels. And to her six younger siblings, well, they weren’t really old enough to see her as much of anything yet. And her friends at school? They didn’t see her as anything. Because she didn’t really have any.

It was the strangest thing, everyone always said. She was such a sweet, bouncy girl, she should have easily befriended her entire class by now. But no matter how many times she tried, none of her classmates really seemed to want to be around her any longer than was necessary. Skara herself didn’t really mind, of course, but her parents were starting to worry. Were they just put off by her personality? Or was it because of the family she came from? Either way, more often than not, Skara was alone.

Again, though, she didn’t mind too much. When you have six younger siblings, and your parents always seem to be having guests over, sometimes being alone can be a blessing. Which is exactly why Skara could often be found in the woods. When they weren’t filled with hellish monsters or the aforementioned bloodthirsty demons, the woods were always a reliable source of peace and quiet. Not that Skara minded the monsters and demons either, though. She had always liked the creepy creatures of the Boiling Isles. In fact, if she hadn’t been so musical, she might have joined the beastkeeping track instead of the bard track!

But today, there were no monsters, demons, or creatures in sight. Just Skara, the way she liked it: alone. Alone, among the sounds of the woods. Chirping birds, a babbling creek, the rustling of leaves in the wind...and a powerful impact that shakes the ground? That, she had to admit, was a new one.

So powerful was the impact that Skara fell off of the log she was walking across and into the babbling creek below. She wasn’t bothered by being wet; she was far too curious about that strange noise to care.

And there it was again. A loud pounding that made the water ripple. Skara stood up, listening again to determine where it was coming from. When the same sound shook the forest yet again, she set off towards it. The birds had gone quiet now, no doubt scared off by the sound.

But what was it? Skara’s mind raced with possibilities. Her first thought was that it was a giant monster of some kind, shaking the ground with its massive footsteps! She sped up to a light jog, excited by the possibility of seeing something like that.  _ I hope it is a big monster! _ she thought to herself.  _ I can’t wait to tell Mom and Daddy About this! But...will they be mad I snuck off to the forest again? And that I got all wet? _ When faced with the choice between seeing a giant monster, or getting in trouble with her parents, Skara eagerly continued on. Daddy never stayed mad at her for long anyway, even on the rare occasions when he did at all.

After a few minutes of following the noises, Skara soon came across what was unmistakably where they were coming from. She was now close enough that each time one of the noises rang out, all the nearby trees were pushed back slightly, and the ground shook even more than before. She ran up to a tree, clinging close to the bark. “Giant monster, here I come!” she whispered excitedly, peering around to sneak a peek.

The first thing she saw was another tree, one that was noticeably different from the others. Mainly because of the gigantic scorch mark on its front, as well as the fact that much of the trunk had been worn away by repeated impacts. She leaned in closer to determine what had caused it to look like that, when her question answered itself: some sort of fireball flew out of nowhere, violently slamming against the side of the tree. The force of this strange fireball colliding with its target caused a burst of air to fly outwards, pushing back not only the trees, but Skara herself. Her hair billowing behind her, she just barely managed to avoid falling over.

“Woah…” Skara leaned around the other side of the tree, looking for the source of the fireball. That was when she saw it--or rather, saw her. “Hey, that isn’t a giant monster, that’s a girl!” Indeed, another little girl stood in the clearing, looking to be about Skara’s age, maybe a bit older. All Skara could make out at this distance was her striking pinkish-red hair, tied up into a small ponytail. She had leaned down to pick up the fireball, which was now no longer on fire. It was a small, brown, leathery ball that Skara instantly recognized as a grudgby ball.

The mystery girl drew a spell circle above the ball, causing it to light on fire. Skara watched, transfixed, as the girl lifted the flaming ball over her head, and, with a shout of effort, hurled it at the tree with a surprising amount of strength. Another loud boom, along with another rush of air, followed.

Impressed, Skara stepped out from behind the tree as the girl set the ball on fire again, preparing to throw it. In perhaps an act of poor timing, Skara made her presence known just then. “That was so cool!” she exclaimed. The other girl, surprised by the sudden shout, missed her target; the grudgby ball sailed past the tree, out of sight.

The girl stomped the ground in irritation, spinning around to face Skara; this showed her that the girl had three eyes, something that made her look familiar somehow. “You messed up my shot!” she said, pouting.

“Sorry!” said Skara. She was apologetic for only a moment before her cheerful demeanor returned. “How come you’re out here all alone?”

“Hmmph.” Arms crossed, the girl turned away. “Because I  _ like _ to be alone. Why are  _ you _ out here?”

“I like to be alone too,” she answered. “You know...sometimes…” It seemed like Skara’s cheerfulness was about to falter, but with a shake of her head, it returned just as quickly as before. “Hey...I know you! You were at our house when Daddy invited Mrs. Trioptes over! Is she your mama?”

“Maybe.” The three-eyed girl glanced over at Skara, seemingly annoyed that she was still waiting for an answer. “Who are you?”

“I’m Skara!” she answered. “What’s your name?”

“...Boscha.” She waited for a few moments, almost surprised that Skara didn’t immediately launch into another question. “Can I get back to practicing now?”

“Whatcha practicing for?” Skara asked. “Do you play grudgby? I love grudgby! I always watch all the games when they come on the crystal ball!”

“Yes, I  _ do _ play grudgby!” said Boscha. She smiled proudly, placing her hands on her hips. “When I get old enough, I’m gonna join the Banshees!”

“Woah...that is  _ so cool _ !” said Skara. She bounced up and down on her feet, looking positively starstruck. Boscha couldn’t help but grin at this; sure, this girl might be annoying, but she could appreciate a little grovelling!

“It is, isn’t it?” Boscha said smugly, examining her nails. “Now beat it, I need to keep practicing.” Her icy demeanor was back. “Now I have to go and find--”

“I’ll go get it!” To Boscha’s surprise, Skara ran off in the direction of the wayward grudgby ball. She disappeared into the bushes beyond the tree. “Okay, I think--ow!--I can see it, it’s--ouch!--just past all of these--ow!--thorn bushes!” Moments later, Skara reappeared, covered in thorns, scratches, and, most importantly, she held the grudgby ball in her hand. “Got it!”

Boscha stifled a laugh, both at this girl’s scruffy appearance, and her willingness to retrieve the ball for her. “You’re not so bad, Skara,” she said, taking the ball. “Okay, back to practicing…” She drew a spell circle, lighting the ball back on fire, but turned back around when she noticed Skara was still there. “Um...you can go now.”

“Can...can I watch?” Skara rolled back and forth on her feet when she asked, her arms behind her back, as though she was afraid to ask. “Watch you practice, I mean.”

Boscha raised an eyebrow. “Um...why?”

Skara grinned bashfully. “I like grudgby,” she said. “I think...I think I’d like to play it, too, once I get old enough. Maybe I’ll even join the Banshees, too.”

“Sure, whatever,” said Boscha, rolling her eyes. She went back to practicing, lighting the ball on fire again. She hadn’t said that the other girl  _ couldn’t _ stay and watch, however. So she stayed.

Skara sat down by the roots of a nearby tree, eyes locked on the ball as it was repeatedly thrown against its target. She would let out a cheer each time it did; “Whoo! That was awesome!” she would say. “Yay! Cool!” she would say. “Nice shot!” she would say.

To Boscha’s surprise, she found herself not growing annoyed with this constant feedback. If anything, something about being cheered on...she enjoyed it. She had expected to eventually get tired of this annoyingly cheerful girl, but she didn’t. She glanced over at her: that shine in her eyes, that admiration, it was real. “You play grudgby too?” she found herself asking.

“...No,” Skara answered. “Not real grudgby, anyway. Daddy says he doesn’t want me getting hurt. Sometimes I pretend, though.”

Much to both girls’ surprise, Boscha held out the ball. “Do you want a turn?” She didn’t know why she offered. It had just happened, spur of the moment. She briefly reconsidered, but still held out the ball; Boscha was never one to take something back.

On the other end, Skara looked like she had just been offered the world. Her eyes lit up even more than they already had, if it was possible--Boscha thought she might start crying then and there. “Yes,” she said, barely audible. She took the ball as if it was a priceless treasure. Her eyes raised to meet the other girl’s. “Boscha?” she said, just as softly.

“What?”

“We should be friends.”

Boscha didn’t even need to think about her answer: “Fine, sure, whatever.” Skara took this quite well, however, hugging the ball to her chest and hopping up and down. “Can we get on with this? I don’t have all day!”

Skara was pulled back into reality. “Huh? Oh, right!” She ran a few feet ahead of Boscha, facing towards the tree with a determined expression. Imitating the other girl, she raised the ball over her head, and threw it with all her might.

The ball traveled only a few feet, bouncing along the ground and stopping a ways before it reached its target. Nevertheless, Skara turned towards Boscha with an expectant expression. “...What?” asked the latter.

“How was that?” asked Skara.

“That…” Boscha was never the type to pull her punches, either. “...wasn’t very good.” She expected Skara to be upset at this news, maybe even cry.

But Skara didn’t even frown. Instead, she ran over to the grudgby ball, before hurrying back. “I’ll try again, then!” she said. “Unless you want it back!”

“No, try again,” said Boscha. “But this time, use your back instead of your shoulders…”

* * *

A few days later, Skara was distracted from her current task of making her stuffed animals fight each other by voices coming from downstairs. Two of them were clearly her parents, but there was a third, one that sounded a little bit familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Curious, she left her room and headed down the stairs.

Not wanting to interrupt them, she peered around the door frame into the living room. Inside, her parents were talking with another woman, whom Skara recognized as Mrs. Trioptes. She had the same eyes as her daughter, who Skara noticed was sitting beside her, not listening to the adults talking. Skara waved, trying to get Boscha’s attention, but instead gained her dad’s.

“And there she is now!” he said. He and the two women looked in her direction. “Skara, would you come here a moment, please?”

Skara slowly walked into the room, wondering what this was about. She didn’t ask, however. As Boscha still stared down at her scroll, her mother seemed to study this girl before her. Meeting her in person, Mrs. Trioptes was quite intimidating; still, she waved at the woman, trying to be friendly.

“We have someone we’d like you to meet,” Mr. O’Hara said. Mrs. Trioptes nudged her daughter, who reluctantly dispelled her scroll and stood up. “Skara, this is Boscha, Mrs. Trioptes’ daughter. I’d like you to start spending some time with her, okay?”

Skara offered no resistance to this whatsoever. “Okay, Daddy!” she said, walking up to Boscha. “Hi again!”

For a moment, Boscha didn’t say anything back. “Now Boscha, say hello to the nice girl,” her mother said. “Just like we practiced.”

Boscha cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, clearly parroting words fed to her.

Rather than take her hand, Skara pulled her in for a hug. At first, Boscha was surprised by this gesture, which eventually turned to annoyance. She didn’t try to break free, though. She eventually returned the hug, albeit awkwardly.

“Awww,” said Mrs. O’Hara, holding her hands over her heart. “They’re already getting along so well!”

And that is how Skara and Boscha became each other’s (first) friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always found myself attracted (no, not like that!) to side characters in shows, especially villainous ones. Boscha and her gang are no exception. Since I realized that none of them made an appearance in Luz Noceda vs. The World, I decided to do a little story featuring them, focusing on how them may have all met. Nothing too major, just a little drabble--hope you enjoy!


	2. Amity

Amity first met Boscha at her eighth birthday party.

She hadn’t invited her, her or the other girl she came with. Actually, the only other person Amity had invited was Willow. It was her parents who had invited these two girls; more specifically, they had invited their parents, and they had brought their children with them.

The party, as much of a party as it could have been, was going well. Willow had been dropped off by her dads, and Ed and Em had agreed not to cause any trouble. Amity and Willow were talking in the living room when they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Not expecting any other guests, Amity was confused. Maybe the twins had invited a friend over? She and Willow peered around the corner to see who had arrived.

Amity’s mother went to the door, opening it to reveal a stern-looking woman with three eyes. “Odalia, how lovely it is to see you again!” she said, smiling with her mouth, but not with her eyes.

“Indeed it is, Hestia; please, do come in,” said Odalia, smiling in the same way. “Is Geryon coming as well?”

The other woman stepped inside. A young girl about Amity’s age stood beside her, seeming to judge everything and everyone she cast her gaze upon. When her eyes fell on Amity for a moment, she felt a sudden chill, like something inside of her was intimidated by this girl. She looked away after a moment, but it still left Amity with a bad feeling about her. “No, he had some business to take care of today, unfortunately,” said the girl’s mother.

“Oh, and this must be Boscha!” said Odalia, looking down at the girl. “She’s gotten so big since I’ve seen her last!”

“Yes, and she’s so gifted, too!” said Hestia, taking pride in bragging about her daughter. “She’ll be getting into Hexside yet, just you wait!” Boscha couldn’t help but swell up a little bit at all of this praise.

“Which is all the more reason for her to make friends with my Amity,” said Odalia. “...Oh, hello, Karina.”

With the sheer commanding presence of both Hestia and Boscha, Amity and Willow hadn’t noticed a mousy-looking woman enter until Odalia had greeted her. She entered with another young girl, who looked much more outgoing than her mother. “Hi, Odalia,” the woman said, barely audible. Both she and Amity’s mother looked down at the cheerful girl expectantly.

“Hiya!” she said, before realizing her error. “Oops. I mean, hello Mrs. Blight.” Her amended greeting was paired with a small curtsey to the Blight matriarch, who grinned at the girl’s politeness.

“And little Skara looks so grown-up as well,” Odalia said. “Now, shall we introduce them?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” said Hestia. Karina nodded without a word. The three women and two children began walking towards the living room. Amity and Willow, not wanting to be accused of eavesdropping, retreated back around the corner.

“Amity dear?” Odalia’s voice rounded the corner before she did. Amity looked up to see her mother enter the room accompanied by the other two women and their daughters. “I have some visitors I’d like you to meet.” Amity tried to act surprised, or at least as surprised as this warranted, as the two girls stepped forwards. The three-eyed girl looked very much like she would rather be elsewhere, and though the dark-skinned girl had the same look, it seemed more like she was imitating the other.

“Oh, but...I didn’t invite--” said Amity.

Her mother cut her off. “Don’t be rude, Amity. Now, this is Boscha Trioptes and Skara O’Hara. I’d like you to start spending some time together with them, okay?”

Amity glanced at the one called Boscha, whose gaze brought that same feeling of intimidation from before. “Y-yes, Mother.”

“Excellent!” said Odalia, smiling in satisfaction. “Why don’t you all get acquainted, while I catch up with my old  _ friends _ …” Something about the way she said that word rubbed Amity the wrong way.

The other girls’ mothers ushered them into the room as they conveigned with Odalia and headed into the next room over. Boscha walked towards Amity and Willow with confidence, while Skara followed after her like a duckling tailing its mother. Something about these girls made Amity uneasy, but she wasn’t sure what. Willow, on the other hand, felt no such thing, cheerfully walking up to the pair.

“Hello!” she said. “Are you here for Amity’s birthday party too?”

Boscha raised an eyebrow. “And who are  _ you _ ?” she asked.

“Oh, right! I’m Willow, nice to meet you!” She held out a hand.

Skara reached out to shake, but Boscha pushed her hand down, ignoring the girl in front of her. “So, you’re Amity,” she said to the girl in question.

“Y-yeah, that’s me!” replied Amity, still unsure of what to make of this girl. “Um, so... _ are _ you here for my birthday party?”

“Uh-huh!” said Skara. “My mom said--”

“ _ My _ mom said that you’re good at abominations,” Boscha interrupted. “She told me that it would be good for us if we made friends with you.”

“...Yeah, my mom said that, too,” Skara said.

Willow spoke up before Amity could say anything. She wasn’t really sure what she would have said, anyway. “Cool! The more the merrier, right?” She, unlike Amity, didn’t quite pick up on their visitors’ hostile attitudes. Either that, or she, like Amity, wasn’t sure how to respond. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Can we see it?” Boscha asked Amity, ignoring Willow.

“S-see it?” said Amity. “See what?”

“Your abomination,” Boscha said, annoyed. “My mom wouldn’t shut up about how good you are at making them. Since she made me come here, I think you should at least let me see one.”

“Oh, um…” Amity stammered, “I don’t...I’m not  _ that _ good. I know a bit about abominations in theory, but actually making them is--”

“What about the one we made together?”

Amity froze. This had been exactly what she had been trying to avoid! “Uh, well, I…” She shot a glance at Willow, hoping that she would pick up on her trepidation. But by that time, it was too late.

“You made an abomination together?” said Skara. “I didn’t know you were in the abomination track too, Willie.”

“It’s Willow,” she said. “And yup! We’re gonna be in the same class once we start going to Hexside!”

Amity fidgeted nervously. Everything about these girls was screaming to her ‘bad news.’ Why did Willow insist on going there?

“Alright then,” said Boscha, with an air of finality. “Let’s go see it.”

Before Amity could come up with any sort of reply, Willow, once again, spoke up. “Sure! It’s right down here!” She grabbed hold of Amity’s arm, and started leading her down a nearby hallway.

“Willow,” Amity said quietly, leaning in closer so that the other girls wouldn’t hear, “what are you doing?”

“I was gonna show them the abomination we made together,” she answered. “We worked so hard on it--don’t you want them to see it?”

“I…” Amity glanced back at the girls, who seemed more interested in making jokes behind their back than watching them. “I don’t like those two. They’re mean to you.”

“Amity, they want to be our friends,” Willow replied. “Shouldn’t we at least give them a chance?”

“I don’t know…” Amity said.

“So, are we seeing this thing or not?” Boscha had stepped closer, peering expectantly down the hall. “I’m not very impressed so far.”

“Yeah, it’s down here!” Willow headed down the hall, with the other three following. Amity couldn’t understand how she shared none of her nerves about those two.

Upon reaching a small door, Willow opened the door to reveal a broom closet, inside of which was a large cauldron. She held out her arms, as though presenting it to the two. Amity stood beside her, her eyes darting back and forth between them.

“Yawn.” Boscha crossed her arms. Skara did the same, imitating her.

“Oh yeah?” said Willow. “Well, just wait until you see  _ this _ !” She pulled the lid off of the cauldron. “Ta-da!”

The purple sludge within began to churn, before rising up into a humanoid shape. Eyes appeared, staring blankly ahead, and a mouth followed, hanging open. Willow, grinning ear to ear, struck a pose, her hands on her hips. The abomination did the same. The only problem was, as it did so, the already unbalanced caldron began to teeter. The abomination lost its balance, spilling onto the floor as the cauldron tipped over.

“Oops!” Willow cried as the goo splattered across the carpet. Skara leapt back before it could get on her shoes. Boscha stepped back, staring disdainfully down at what used to be the abomination. Amity was mortified. “We...still have a few bugs to work out…”

“That wasn’t very good,” Boscha said bluntly. Skara shook her head, expressing the same sentiment.

“Oh…” said Willow. “Amity’s always been the one who’s better with abominations. I’m...not.”

Boscha scoffed.” You can say that again!”

Amity was about to give a retort, but a stern voice came from further down the hall. “Amity, what are you all--” Alador went silent before he could finish his sentence, seeing the four girls surrounding the mess. He pursed his lips, and was about to speak up again when Willow stepped up.

“I’m sorry about the mess, Mr. Blight,” she said. “I wanted to show our new friends the abomination Amity and me made together. I’ll clean it up, I--”

“No need.” Odalia had appeared as well, walking down the hall towards them as Hestia and Karina peered around the corner. “Actually...Amity, may we speak to you for a moment? There’s something we’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Huh? O-oh...okay.” Amity quietly followed after her parents down the hall towards the living room. Willow once again stepped up, standing in front of them.

“Wait! Mrs. Blight, Mr. Blight, it isn’t her fault! It’s my fault, I wanted to show them our abomination!”

“That’s exactly the...Never you mind, we just need to have a quick chat with Amity,” said Odalia, leading her daughter into the other room.

“But--”

“Just wait here,” said Alador. He followed after them into the room, closing the door behind him. Almost as though they knew what was coming, Hestia and Karina retreated out of sight. Willow returned to the living room to see Boscha and Skara talking to each other. They gave her a dismissive glance when she entered, before going back to talking.

As the two of them took up almost the entire couch, Willow instead sat on the floor. For some reason, this party was turning out to be much less fun than she had hoped. She smiled slightly when she thought that--understatement of the year, right there.

She looked up at the two girls on the couch. Was it their fault? No, it couldn’t have been. They were just here for the party, nothing more. But then, was it Amity’s fault? That couldn’t have been it, either. Everything was going fine until the girls and their parents showed up. And as she previously established, it wasn't their fault. So who’s fault was it?

Was...was it her fault?

Willow stood up. “So...I think I’m gonna go--”

Boscha looked up, looking at her in much the same way she looked at her abomination. “I don’t care,” she said coldly. “We’re here to make friends with Amity, not with  _ you _ .” The two went back to their conversation.

“Right. Yeah,” Willow said quietly. She walked off in the direction of Amity’s room. Hopefully, her parents would be done talking with her. She had some things she wanted to say.

* * *

“ _ There _ you are,” Boscha said as Amity returned to the living room. “I was getting bored just sitting here talking to Skara. Where’s your friend?”

As Amity returned, a heavy weight seemed to be pressing down on her. “She’s…” Where exactly Willow was, she didn’t say. Instead, that weight on her seemed to lessen--or, more accurately, she just pretended it wasn’t there. Her expression changed to one almost completely devoid of emotion, save for a subtle sort of condescension. It reminded Boscha quite a bit of Odalia. “A Blight only associates with the best,” she said, sounding completely different from the girl they had seen before. “And she...wasn’t.”

Boscha grinned. With the way she bared her fangs, all that was missing was a scowl for it to be a perfect snarl. This, too, was an expression that she had got from her mother. “She wasn’t your friend anyway. If she was, she wouldn’t have been dragging you down.”

“We can be your friends instead!” said Skara. “We’re better at magic than...um...her.”

“Good,” Amity said, head held high. “I would hope you are worthy of associating with the Blight name.”

“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!” said Boscha, putting her arm around Amity’s shoulder. “I think the three of us are gonna be good friends!”

To neither of the girls’ notice, Amity’s expression faltered, replaced by one of sorrow. But it returned just as quickly as it had vanished. “Friends…” she said softly. “Of course.”

And that is how Amity was forced to become Boscha’s friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All headcanons aside, Boscha is still Boscha. And the Blights are still the Blights.
> 
> I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! This was just supposed to be a cute little fluff piece about some side characters, but this chapter turned out to be such a bummer! Ah well, comes with the territory I guess. At least we know these two have a happy ending. Next chapter will be a bit less heavy, I promise.


	3. Amelia

Amelia first met Boscha over Penstagram.

They had seen each other around before, or course, but they weren’t that close. The first time they interacted in any capacity outside of being schoolmates was when Boscha posted a selfie of herself, Amity, and Skara in front of a large trophy.

**_Witch_with_a_B:_ ** _ Me n the girls just won the junior grudgby championship! #grudgbychamps #gobanshees #hexside4life _

**_Funyungurl306:_ ** _ OMT congrats! Girl you are rockin that jacket! _

**_Witch_with_a_B:_ ** _ U know it! -;P _

Amelia followed Boscha on Penstagram after that. To her surprise, Boscha followed back.

* * *

Amelia Benning had never been very interested in grudgby. She always showed her support whenever there was a big game, but that was mostly just school spirit talking. At the same time, though, Amelia had always been a curious girl. New hobbies and interests could grab her attention at the littlest provocation, and grudgby was no different.

Prompted by this exchange, Amelia decided to look further into the sport. She read up on the rules, looked up the history, but none of it kept her attention for long. Amelia’s attention span was a notoriously fickle thing, as easy to lose as it was to gain. Her interest in grudgby did remain, however, and actually watching it on the crystal ball played proved much more entertaining than researching it.

Soon enough, she became familiar with the various teams, and the various rivalries that came with them. The local team, the Bonesborough Reapers, had a notoriously one-sided rivalry with the Netherburg Wyverns, and a more matched one with the Wriston Wraiths. Although far from being an Isles-class team, Amelia enjoyed watching the Reapers give it their all. Of course, given that each game promised plenty of magical explosions, player-on-player violence, and down-to-the-second plays, she enjoyed each game regardless of who was playing.

Eventually, the time had come again for grudgby season at Hexside. The school was once more abuzz with excitement, and this time Amelia joined in. Each time the players would walk by in the halls, the students would either watch in quiet awe, or cheer as they passed with their heads held high. Amelia was one of the former: while grudgby players had always been held with a sort of reverence around Hexside, it was only now that she understood the excitement of grudgby that she also knew why this was.

It had cost her (or, more accurately, it had cost her parents) a pretty penny, but Amelia had been able to get her hands on tickets to the upcoming match--quite desirable ones, at that. On the night of the big game, she found herself right up close to the action, each pillar of fire and writhing tentacle mere feet in front of her face. To say it was exciting would be an understatement. After one particularly impressive goal by the Banshees (Amity Blight had summoned an abomination arm to catapult Boscha up to the goalpost), Amelia had taken a selfie, with the celebrating team behind her.

**_Funyungurl306:_ ** _ Front row seats!!!1! _

**_Witch_with_a_B_ ** _ liked this post _

**_Amity_Blight_ ** _ liked this post _

**_SpoonyBard88:_ ** _ Hey look u can see me! _

**_SpoonyBard88_ ** _ liked this post _

Incidentally, the Hexside Banshees won that game.

* * *

Amelia had decided. She had been debating from the moment she first saw the star athletes walk by in the halls, but she had finally made up her mind. She wanted to be among them as they strolled through the school, venerated as heroes by their peers. Plus, watching grudgby was getting old--it was time to actually play it. After the last bell of the day had screamed, she made her way to the field for tryouts.

Unsure of exactly where she needed to be, she peered into the locker rooms. “Um...hello?” she asked. “Is this where I sign up?” Nobody seemed to be inside at first, but someone rounded a corner when she had spoken. Amelia recognized her as one of the team’s stars.

“You’re here for tryouts?” asked the girl, throwing on her jacket. “Down on the field. I’m headed that way myself.” It wasn’t said outright, but her words implied an offer to walk with her, something Amelia immediately took her up on.

“So...Boscha, right?” asked the green-haired girl, as the two of them walked to the grudgby fields. “And you’re, like, the team captain?”

Boscha smiled. “No, but pretty close,” she said. “That’s Amity you’re thinking of. But I’m basically her second in command.” She glanced over at Amelia. “Why? Were you trying to butter me up for a better chance at being picked?”

“No!” Amelia laughed, waving off the idea. “Wait...would it have worked?”

“Well, that’s for the captain to decide, not me,” said Boscha, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets. “But between you and me,” she whispered, “it definitely would have helped!” Boscha laughed at this, and Amelia joined in once she realized it was a joke. “What did you say your name was?”

“I’m Amelia, Amelia Benning. And...you  _ are _ Boscha, right?”

“The one and only,” Boscha said.

The pair walked in silence for a little while, before Amelia spoke up once again. “You know, you really do rock that jacket,” she said.

“Aw, you’re too kind,” Boscha said with a grin. “You know what? I think I like you, Amelia. And I don’t say that to just anyone.”

“Thanks. I like you too, I think,” Amelia replied.

They soon arrived on the field, which was already full of hopeful young witches vying for a spot on the Banshees. “Welp, here we are. I’d better meet up with the others,” said Boscha, heading over to Amity and Skara. “Good luck out there!”

“Thanks, you too!” Amelia said with a wave. She looked around at the other girls on the field, sizing up her competition. She couldn’t help but smile--this would be too easy.

* * *

As soon as she heard the package arrive, Amelia raced to the door. The delivery demon didn’t even have time to ask her name when she had grabbed the box and carried her reward, the spoils of her labor, back up to her room. The past three days had been agonizing, but now it was finally official: she was a Banshee.

She tore open the package, gazing at the gear in awe. She was so excited that she would have set there staring for a while if the familiar buzzing from her scroll hadn’t jolted her back to reality. She opened her scroll to read the message:

**_Witch_with_a_B:_ ** _ Well? It arrive yet? _

She hastily typed back a message:

**_Funyungurl306:_ ** _ Just got here! _

**_SpoonyBard88:_ ** _ What u waitin for? Send us a pic! _

Amelia placed down her scroll, taking the chestpiece out of the box. Slowly, she slid it on over her head. It wasn’t as tight as she had expected, but it still felt somewhat snug. She quickly took out the shoes and pads and slid them on as well. A complete set of grudgby armor--all that was missing was the facepaint. She picked up her scroll again, taking a moment to admire how it all looked before snapping a photo.

**_Funyungurl306:_ ** _ Meet the newest member of the Hexside Banshees! _

**_SpoonyBard88:_ ** _ Yay!!1!1! It looks soooo good on u! _

**_Amity_Blight:_ ** _ Congratulations. You earned the position! _

**_Witch_with_a_B:_ ** _ Oh yeah, no competition! Can’t wait for your first game, we’ll show those Glandis nerds whos boss! _

Amelia chuckled. Yeah, they definitely would.

* * *

“So, uh...were you nervous on your first game?” asked Amelia.

“Nope.” Boscha closed her locker. “Of course, my first game was against Arcane Academy, so it was kinda like taking candy from a bunch of babies.”

“I was!” Skara bounded up to the other two, seating herself down next to Amelia. “Why, are you nervous?”

“...A little,” Amelia said. “Excited, too. But mostly nervous.”

Skara threw an arm around her shoulder. “Ah, there’s nothing to be worried about!” she said. “It always seems a lot bigger the first time around, but you’ll get used to it. Besides, win, lose, sustain grievous bodily injuries--the crowd’ll cheer you on no matter what!”

“Yeah, and you blew everyone away at tryouts,” said Boscha. “If anyone should be nervous, it’s Glandis!”

“Y-you think so?” Amelia asked.

“What, are you kidding?” replied Boscha. “Some of those clowns didn’t even make it past the vines, and you breezed through the fireballs on your first try! You belong here, Amelia--you’re one of us.”

“Speaking of us,” said Amity, making her way over to the group, “Is everyone ready?”

“Definitely!” said Boscha, pounding her fist into her palm. “Let’s knock these bozos into next tuesday!”

“Hang on,” said Amelia, as the other three were about to leave. She summoned her scroll with a spell. “Pre-game selfie?”

“Sure!” Skara squeezed in close, followed by Boscha and Amity. Amelia held up her scroll and snapped the photo, putting it up on her Penstagram account.

**_Funyungurl306:_ ** _ Meet the new team! #firstgame #gobanshees #hexside4life _

**_Witch_with_a_B_ ** _ liked this post _

“Now let’s show ‘em what for!” said Amelia. The Hexside Banshees headed towards the field. She could already hear the crowd cheering from here--she could only imagine how loud they would cheer when her team scored the winning goal. Or caught the rusty smidge. Whichever came first.

* * *

“Hmm?”

A few days after they won their game against Glandis High (Amelia caught the rusty smidge!), Boscha felt the familiar buzzing of a message on her scroll. She summoned it to find a simple message waiting for her:

**_Funyungurl306_ ** _ has sent you a friend request _

Boscha clicked her tongue. “Took her long enough.” She pressed the button with her thumb.

_ Request accepted _

And that is how Amelia became Boscha’s friend.


	4. Cat

Catrina first met Boscha on her first day at Hexside.

That is, Catrina’s first day, not Boscha’s. Catrina Hodge and her family had only recently moved to Bonesborough from Kneecapsburg, both so her mother could find more work after Mr. Hodge had been arrested, and to be closer to him at the Conformatorium. Back in their old hometown, Catrina’s father had worked for the Emperor’s Coven as a contraband officer, only to be suddenly accused of using his connections to aid in the smuggling of illegal magical artifacts. Mrs. Hodge, in spite of the mountains of evidence, insisted that this simply wasn’t true. Catrina wasn’t sure what to believe.

Kneecapsburg was a very expensive city to live in, and Bonesborough was not; the move was decided on almost instantly. It wasn’t that Catrina minded leaving her friends behind, because she didn’t have any. In fact, part of her was grateful that she wouldn’t have to go back to Achilles Tendon Academy of Mystic Arts. Through a combination of her shy, quiet personality, glasses, tooth gap, and frizzy hair that never stayed down no matter how long she combed it in the morning, she was an easy target for her school’s roaming cliques.

What she did mind, however, was having to start over. In her many years of attending Tendon, she had gotten a handle on the politics of the hallways. Who went where on which day, and how to avoid them. When to keep her head down, and when to avoid an area altogether. Who proved to be a major risk on any given day. Now that she was attending Hexside, she would have to learn all of that from scratch, and likely lots of trial and error. And she didn’t look forward to getting on anyone’s bad side.

First period was a few minutes away from starting. Catrina walked away from her locker, a pile of books in her arms. Some of them she needed for her classes, some were for reading in her free time. As she headed to the beginner’s healing classroom to get an early start, she hid her face in the books whenever she passed by a group of young witches. Any one of them could be the popular students looking for someone to pick on, and she didn’t want to give them any more reason than they already had.

Before she could reach her destination, she noticed a pair of witches ahead of her, walking quickly down the hallway: two girls in the potions and bard tracks. The three-eyed girl in yellow walked with an air of authority that Catrina recognized all too well. Students that they passed seemed to dart out of their way so as to not incur their wrath. Catrina did the same, only to realize, to her horror, that they were heading towards her.

“You, healer girl,” said the three-eyed girl. “I haven’t seen you around before. You’re new, aren’t you?”

“I-I don’t want any trouble,” Catrina said meekly, staring down at the floor. “Please, I’m just trying to get to class.”

The three-eyed girl raised an eyebrow, before turning to her companion. “Skara, keep an eye out for any teachers,” she ordered. As Skara turned to keep watch, Catrina noticed that she seemed worried, quite unlike how she expected a popular kid to look when her more-popular friend had chosen a victim. “That’s not what I want.”

“I brought lunch from home, I don’t have any money!” Catrina said. “I’m sorry if I made you mad in any way, just please--”

The three-eyed girl looked confused. “What are you--no, listen: you’re a healer, aren’t you?” Her fear subsiding but not completely vanishing, Catrina nodded. “We need your help. Look, one of our friends--”

“Boscha, we should go, Ms. Agror’s coming!” Skara said in a hushed tone.

“Come with us.” Boscha grabbed Catrina by the wrist, pulling her down the hallway away from their current spot. As the three of them sort-or-ran, Catrina grew more confused as to what was going on.

“I’m glad we found you when we did!” said Skara. “I think Bo’s home sick today, and I wasn’t sure if anyone else wouldn’t go to a teacher first!” She looked at Catrina. “You won’t tell, will you? You’ll keep this secret?”

“I-I’m not sure, keep what a secret?” asked Catrina. “I don’t know what’s going on!”

“We’ll explain later, just follow us and keep quiet!” said Boscha. Skara ran ahead to scout out the area, and ushered them forward when the coast was clear. Giving their surroundings one last scan, the two of them led Catrina into a girls’ restroom.

“Okay, we found one!” Skara announced, which is when Catrina realized they weren’t alone. Two other girls were present in the bathroom: one was in the abomination track and had dyed-green hair, and the other was in the plant track with hair of a matching color. The plant track girl sat on the floor with her back to the wall, the abomination track girl crouching next to her. The former looked quite uneasy, but the latter maintained a stoic expression.

“Oh, thank Titan!” said the plant girl, sighing in relief. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it there for a bit!”

“Calm down, it’s just a sprained ankle,” said the abomination girl. She looked up. “You, who are you?”

“Um...Catrina. I-it’s my first day, so I…” She trailed off. “What’s all this about?”

“Well? What are you waiting for?” asked Boscha. “You’re a healer, get to healing!” She nudged her towards the girl on the floor, who seemed to be favoring one leg. The abomination girl sat beside her as Catrina approached, and Skara sat on her other side, looking just as worried as the plant girl herself.

“O-okay, so...you have a sprained ankle, then?” asked Catrina, kneeling down in front of the girl.

“That’s what Amity keeps telling me, but it’s broken, I know it!” she said. “Just tell me how much longer I have left, doc!”

“Amelia. Get. A. Grip,” growled Boscha. “Shut up and let…” She looked down at the healer girl.

“Catrina.”

“...Let Catrina do her work.”

Amelia whimpered, lifting up her pant leg to reveal a bruised ankle. It wasn’t serious, but it didn’t look like she just tripped. “What happened?” Catrina asked.

“I told you, I’ll explain it all later,” said Boscha. “Now, can you help, or not?”

“I...I mean, I  _ can _ ,” Catrina said. “But, shouldn’t we tell a teacher instead?”

“No! We can’t!” said Skara suddenly, startling Catrina. “That’s why we went to find someone! Because we’d get in trouble if we had to explain!”

Catrina just became even more confused. “In trouble…? What exactly happened?”

Boscha sighed. “We got in a fight.”

“These three got in a fight,” Amity clarified. “I tried to prevent it. But  _ someone _ just couldn’t let go of her wounded pride.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk, Blight!” Boscha scoffed. “Look, Catrina--do you mind if I call you Cat?”

“Um...sure,” said Catrina.

“Look, Cat, there’s a pecking order at this school. People at the bottom have to respect people at the top. And when they don’t...well, that’s when things might have to get physical. Only problem is, if the teachers found out we were--ahem--educating some dissidents, we could get suspended, or worse. So, can you keep this a secret?”

Catrina nodded furiously. “Yes, absolutely, will do, Boscha. I-i’m sorry, I don’t know if we’re on first-name terms yet, I just thought--”

“Excuse me?” said Amelia. “Not to be a bother, but I think I can see a light!”

“Don’t go towards it!” said Skara.

Cat’s mind was pulled back to her ‘patient.’ The first order of business, assessing the damage. She cast an x-ray spell, and scanned the injured ankle through the spell circle. Nothing was broken, so that was good. Nothing a simple healing spell wouldn’t fix.

“Is it terminal?” asked Amelia.

At this point, Cat was fairly certain Amelia was playing it up on purpose. “Like Amity said--just a sprain. Just give me a few seconds…”

Cat drew another spell circle, and the wound slowly began to heal. Amelia’s skin turned back to its usual shade, and her face became significantly more relaxed. Before long, no trace of her injury remained. “Wow, that...that’s much better!” she said. “Thanks, Cat!”

“It’s nothing, really,” Cat said bashfully, helping Amelia to her feet.

“Amelia, you’re gonna be okay!” exclaimed Skara, wrapping her friend in a hug.

“Well, of course I am,” Amelia said. “It was just a sprained ankle, nothing serious.”

“And Cat saves the day,” Boscha said, grinning at the girl. “We  _ can _ trust you to keep this quiet, can’t we?”

“Of course,” said Cat, nodding. “I’m just glad we’re on good terms now. We...we are on good terms, right?”

“I guess we are,” said Boscha.

“Okay. Good. Well...I’ll see you around, I guess.” Cat turned to leave.

“Hold on.” Amity’s voice made her turn around. “Thank you for your help. We really are grateful, all of us. You didn’t have to help us, but you did. Is there anything we can do for you, as thanks?”

Cat was silent. Truth be told, she really did think she had to help them, what with Boscha’s insistence in keeping this a secret. She was sure they would have strongarmed her into it if they had refused. “You...you’re sure?”

“Sure we’re sure,” said Boscha. “You saved us all from a dirty smear on our permanent records!”

“And you saved Amelia from death!” Skara added.

“We don’t do this often,” Boscha said, “but how’d you like to hang with us? We could use a healer like you in case anything like this happens again. Plus, new kids are easy targets around here--you won’t have to worry about any of those punks with us around!”

Cat couldn’t believe it. “Y-you mean...me? With you? The popular girls?”

“Yeah we mean you!” said Skara, approaching her. “So, whaddya think? Wanna be friends?”

Cat thought about it, but not much. It didn’t need much thinking. As soon as she was asked, she knew. “Absolutely,” she said breathlessly.

“Yay!” Skara threw her arms around Cat. “Welcome to the team!” She held the hug for a good while before breaking away. “Oh, and I’m Skara, by the way. Skara O’Hara. And these are Amelia Benning, Amity Blight, and Boscha Trioptes.”

“Hello,” Cat said shyly. “Catrina Hodge. But you can call me Cat, I guess, if you want.”

Boscha stepped forward, patting Cat on the shoulder. “Glad to have you. And trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about: I take care of my own.”

“She sure does!” said Amelia. “When that one guy stomped on my leg, she went ballistic on ‘im! He won’t be messing with us again!”

Boscha ‘hmmph’ed’ in agreement. “You’ll be safe with us, that’s for sure.”

Just then, the bell screamed, alerting the school that first period was about to begin. Amity was the first to leave. “Good luck, Cat. The usual spot at lunch, girls.”

“Bye Cat!” said Skara. “I’ll save you a spot at our table!”

The remaining trio exited the restroom. “See ya then, new girl!” said Boscha, waving her goodbye as she walked down the hall, away from Cat and Amelia.

Amelia and Cat, however, walked in the same direction. “You heading to history?” asked Amelia.

“Mmhmm,” said Cat.

“Cool. Mr. Santis lets us sit pretty much wherever, so we can sit next to each other!”

“I...I’d like that,” Cat said, grinning. Mom would be so happy to hear that she had made not one, not two, not even three, but four new friends on her first day. Dad would, too.

“Hey Cat?”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t happen to play grudgby, do you?”

“I’ve dabbled. Why?”

And that is how Cat became Boscha’s friend.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always found myself attracted (no, not like that!) to side characters in shows, especially villainous ones. Boscha and her gang are no exception. Since I realized that none of them made an appearance in Luz Noceda vs. The World, I decided to do a little story featuring them, focusing on how them may have all met. Nothing too major, just a little drabble--hope you enjoy!


End file.
